He Lent Me to His Capos, So I Chose His Enemy

The first time Don Luca Moretti lent me out was Christmas Eve, right after our engagement. For five years, every holiday, he sent me to his single friends so they could bring me home and fend off their families' nagging about marriage and arranged alliances. He said it was just friends helping each other out. His friends were more than happy to oblige. Every last one of them was either a Moretti capo or a business partner running docks, laundering money, or managing casinos for the family. They never lacked for women, yet somehow they always needed a temporary girlfriend who looked clean, quiet, and wouldn't cause trouble. And I was the perfect candidate. But I didn't always come back in one piece. Some families saw right through my background, saw through the charade on the spot, and had their bodyguards throw me out the front door that same night. Every time I tried to refuse, Luca would hold me gently and murmur reassurances. "It's just dinner. Once this is over, we'll get married." So for five years, I never spent a single holiday with Luca. This Thanksgiving, I got slapped across the face in front of everyone. Again. I went to find Luca with tears burning in my eyes, but outside his study, I heard someone ask: "Boss, you really don't mind us taking Ava home?" Luca took a drag of his cigarette, his tone lazy and indifferent. "Why would I mind? Every time you take her off my hands, I get to bring Claire back to the main house for the holidays." Someone laughed in agreement. "That's why you're the boss. If it ever comes out, you can just say she was the one messing around with other men first." I stood outside the door. For a moment, I couldn't process what I'd heard. Then came Christmas break, and I was assigned to accompany his deadliest rival, Dante Hale, back to his family home. The Hale family and the Moretti family had been at each other's throats for years. Ports, casinos, arms routes—if it could be fought over, they'd fought over it. That day, his mother gave me an emerald bracelet. She said the bracelet was only ever passed down to the future lady of the Hale household. Before, I would have quietly returned it. But that time, I froze for a few seconds, then slipped it onto my wrist. ... When I got back from the Hale estate and pushed open the door, Luca was sitting in the living room. He smiled at me like he'd been waiting a long time. "You're back? Must've been exhausting." But I felt no warmth at all, because his friends were there too. Their eyes flickered over me, like they were waiting for a result. "She didn't get hit this time?" "Damn, this round goes to Claire. Boss, you bet wrong." Luca didn't respond. He just glanced at me with mild surprise. "Fine. I lost." One careless sentence, and my whole body went cold. So that's why they were all gathered here. They'd been betting on whether Dante would hit me. I numbly pulled my gaze away and turned to leave. But Claire grabbed my wrist. "What's that on your hand?" Her words cut off mid-sentence. Everyone else's expression changed too. "Isn't that the Hale family's emerald bracelet?" "The one that's only given to the future lady of the house? What are the Hales trying to say?" Even Luca was staring at my wrist, suspicion darkening his eyes. In that moment, I finally understood why Dante had given me the bracelet with that knowing look in his eyes. But Claire suddenly shrieked: "Did you steal it or con them out of it?" When Luca heard that, his expression slowly relaxed. "Ava, I told you I'd marry you, and I will. There's no need to pull cheap stunts like this just to spite me." The others had their little epiphany too. "I knew it. How could the Hales possibly be interested in her?" "They were just being polite, and she actually thought she was worthy." Mockery like this had never stopped—not since the day I went from being a charity student funded by the Moretti family to Luca's girlfriend. Luca never personally looked down on my background. But he never once stopped anyone else from doing it either. He was even the one who volunteered me to accompany his friends home. The soup splashed on me, the wine glasses and ashtrays hurled at my head—all of it happened with his silent permission. I used to think he had his own difficulties. I thought he couldn't shield me from everyone. But today, at the Hale estate, Dante's father had casually mentioned that a few days ago, Luca brought Claire back to the Moretti main house. He'd publicly acknowledged Claire as his fiancee. Dante's father even spoke of it with admiration for the younger generation. "That Moretti kid has some backbone. The old Don objected a few times, but the boy shut that down." And in that instant, I finally understood. When you truly love someone, you pave the way for them. Willingly. "Enough." Luca stubbed out his cigarette—the first time he'd ever cut them off. "Ava, the Hale family isn't that simple. I'll return the bracelet for you." He reached for my hand, and I covered the bracelet with my other palm. A flicker of surprise crossed Luca's eyes. "What? You don't want to give it back?" "I don't feel well," I said. "Must have eaten something bad." My stomach was churning in waves. Luca studied me. For one brief second, I thought I saw a ghost of the man he used to be. There was a time when all I had to do was mention feeling unwell, and Luca would drop everything to take care of me. But now, all he gave me was a dismissive smirk. "Can't handle the good food at the Hale house?" He slid the bracelet off my wrist, patted my shoulder. "Go rest."

I don't know how I made it back to the bedroom. The nausea quickly turned into a wrenching pain so bad I didn't even have the strength to go out and buy medicine. After what felt like an eternity, my phone buzzed. It was Dante. His voice was low and gentle. "Luca returned the bracelet to me. You didn't want to keep it?" I answered in a thread of a voice, and he caught the something wrong immediately. "What happened?" "Ate something bad." Silence on the other end for a few minutes. When Dante spoke again: "Come downstairs in twenty minutes. There'll be medicine waiting for you. Once you're feeling better, we'll talk." A storm of emotions churned inside me, and tears slid into my pillow. Twenty minutes later, I went downstairs to get the medicine. Luca was sitting in the living room. He raised his hand. Between his fingers was a sticky note. In a man's handwriting: Take care of yourself. Luca's gaze was darker than I'd ever seen it. "What is this?" "Ava Lane, which man are you screwing? Medicine delivered right under my nose." He threw the box into the trash. "You can't go one minute without a man? Can't buy your own medicine?" "It's just a box of medicine," I said, exhausted. He could be endlessly attentive to Claire, coaxing her with candy just to get her to take a pill. But someone else buying me one box of medicine was a crime. In Luca's eyes, my explanation came across as dismissiveness. He snatched the ashtray in a rage and hurled it at me. "I'm putting together a wedding for you! I was planning to marry you next month! You don't deserve it!" The ashtray struck my forehead and split the skin open. I didn't dodge. One, I had no strength left. Two, it suddenly occurred to me that in these five years, Luca had prepared four weddings. The first time, something went wrong with the venue. Everyone consoled me, said it was just bad luck. The second time, the old Don Moretti passed away. The guests exchanged uneasy glances, and people at the main house were already calling me a jinx. The third and fourth times were canceled for various other "accidents." By the end, everyone could see the Moretti family's true stance. I became the laughingstock—the girl who tried to marry into a mafia dynasty and failed. When I accompanied Luca's friends to their homes, some asked with cruel amusement: "Is it because you're no good in bed that the boss won't marry you?" Some even cornered me in bathrooms and tried to put their hands on me. So this wedding—how could it possibly happen? Luca seemed caught off guard that I hadn't dodged. He paused. His tone softened slightly. "Why didn't you move? Come here, let me clean that up." After every injury, Luca was the one who treated my wounds. I used to think that was caring. Later I realized he just didn't want it getting out and looking bad. I pulled away from his outstretched hand and fished the medicine out of the trash. Luca watched me, words catching in his throat. Then, suddenly, a woman's voice came through his phone. "Luca, stop arguing with her. We're waiting for you." My breath hitched, and my hands trembled as I opened the medicine box. "Your phone's been on a call this whole time?" Luca frowned slightly. "Yes." So that was why he'd been downstairs in the middle of the night. He'd been on his way out to see Claire. Her urging voice came through again. Luca glanced at me, hesitating. In the end, he left. I leaned against the wall for a while, then opened the fridge. Not a single bottle of water. It was full of Claire's favorite desserts and drinks. I turned on the tap and choked the pills down with harsh, metallic tap water. My throat felt like something was crawling down it. The nausea was unbearable. I had no idea how many ears those humiliating details had reached. But I didn't expect the first person to call and interrogate me to be my brother, Ryan. "You're cheating? Do you know how many people are laughing at me right now?" "Don't you forget—who rescued your brother from that fraud ring? Who's paying for Mom's treatment? You go apologize to Luca right now! Get on your knees if you have to!" "Ryan, I didn't cheat. He's the one who wronged me." "Be grateful, Ava! Don Luca has been more than good to our family. It's just one Claire..." His voice stopped abruptly. I was shaking all over, in disbelief. "You've known about them all along, haven't you?" I desperately wanted him to say no. If he just said no, it would prove that at least one person in this world hadn't lied to me. But my own brother—the one I'd depended on my entire life—said without a shred of concern: "Now that you know, why aren't you trying harder to keep Luca happy?" "Everyone out there is dragging your name through the mud. Besides Luca, who else would marry you? Making a scene about cheating now is just stupid!" I never imagined a day would come when my own brother would blame me like this, as if everything was my fault. "Listen to me, Ava. Luca just got me a job at the docks. Mom's medical bills went up again this month. Just bear with it." I didn't know what else to say. After a long silence, I canceled the train ticket I'd bought the night before. In the beginning, it was Luca who brought me out of that remote little town. He paid for my schooling, took care of my family, gave me a love I'd never known. But later, all those kindnesses came with a price. After he rescued my brother from the fraud ring, he lent me out for the first time. The day he started covering my mother's staggering medical bills was the day he brought Claire home. So in Luca's eyes, we were never equals. My phone buzzed twice more. I picked up. Luca's voice came through, cold and flat. "You heard what your brother said? Stop making trouble." I let out a bitter laugh. "You gave my brother a job. What do I have to trade for that?" Luca went quiet for a beat, his voice even flatter. "Over the next seven days, you'll be accompanying a few more people home. This afternoon, start with Mason Cross—go meet his family. Don't embarrass me." The color drained from my face. This was my first time spending a Christmas holiday like this.

That afternoon, Mason came to pick me up for dinner. He was the son of one of Luca's capos, his family running two smuggling routes. He'd always looked down on me. His family was no different. At least no one laid a hand on me during dinner. When it was over, I was about to get into Mason's car when someone grabbed me by the hair and yanked me away from the door. "You slut! I'm Mason's girlfriend!" Before I could say a word, a slap cracked across my face. Everything went black for a second. All I could hear was Mason's panicked voice. "Lily, what are you doing here?" "You're having dinner with the other woman and I'm not allowed to show up?" Mason didn't explain. He stood there and let the girl slap me across the face again and again. Then I was kicked and sent sprawling face-first onto the ground. The wound on my forehead tore open. Blood smeared over my eyes. Maybe it was a hallucination, but I thought I saw Luca standing nearby. The shock and worry on his face were something I hadn't seen in a long time. But as he started walking toward me, Claire caught his arm and whispered something in his ear. Luca stopped. He stared at me with a complicated expression. So it wasn't a hallucination after all. Because in a hallucination, Luca wouldn't have stood there watching me get beaten. After the girl had spent her rage and been led away by Mason, Luca finally walked over. He picked me up without a word, offered no explanation. Even covered in injuries, all he did was call the Moretti family's private doctor for a cursory patch-up. The only escape from the pain was sleep. But I didn't sleep well. Half-conscious, I heard Mason say: "Boss, my girlfriend didn't mean it. Whatever you need to make it right, just say the word." But Luca reassured him: "Don't worry about it. I'm the one who asked you all to bring her home. Without you, I couldn't have brought Claire back to the main house." "For you and Claire's happiness, we're all more than willing, Don." I pressed my hands over my ears in agony. When I woke again, Luca was sitting gently at the edge of my bed. "Don't worry. I won't send you anywhere until your injuries heal." He leaned close to my ear and said: "Once you're better, we'll get married." I didn't ask him who he was marrying. Me? Or Claire? But what came before any wedding was Dante. When I saw him show up at the Moretti house, I froze for a moment. I hadn't expected Luca's word to become worthless so quickly. I got into Dante's car and sat through another dinner with his family. After his parents left, Dante took his time walking me out. A friendly greeting came from the opposite direction. "Dante, you're here for dinner too?" Dante responded politely: "Don Moretti. Just brought my girlfriend to have dinner with my parents." Standing across from us were Luca's parents. Luca and Claire were right behind them. Luca was staring at me, his face ashen. His parents looked uncomfortable when they saw me. Probably remembering all the times they'd said I wasn't good enough to be seen in public. But they still had to put on pleasant faces. "What a coincidence. Luca's here with his fiancee for dinner too. Why don't you join us?" Dante's lips curved. He didn't refuse. Luca's expression visibly darkened. Compared to the lighter fare at the Hale family table, the Morettis ordered almost everything heavy and spicy. I'd never been able to handle spice. In the beginning, Luca used to eat bland food alongside me. But after Claire moved in, the entire household's palate followed hers. I bowed my head and pushed the chili peppers aside on my plate. Then I heard Dante ask: "Luca, that string of beads on your wrist—is that a prayer bracelet from the monastery?" It was a birthday gift I'd given Luca years ago. At the time, he said he'd wear it for the rest of his life. Now, he just gave a cold laugh. "Some cheap thing from who knows where. You want it? It's yours." "That won't be necessary." As Dante said this, he placed a cheese-baked shrimp on my plate. The next second, Luca dumped the entire platter of shrimp into the trash. "This dish is too rich. Have the kitchen make a new one." The table went dead silent. Dante smiled on purpose. "Luca, why do I get the feeling you have a problem with my girlfriend?" Luca's gaze turned frigid. "How could I? I don't even know her." The old Don Moretti immediately smoothed things over: "Of course not. You'll have to bring your girlfriend to Luca and Claire's wedding soon." I chewed without tasting anything. But strangely, I felt calm inside, like a hard shell had sealed itself around me. Sadness, resentment—those feelings were all gone. After dinner, Dante was about to drive me home when Luca stormed out after us. "Dante, don't let her fool you. You've heard the rumors about her cheating with some random guy, right?" His voice dripped with contempt. What he didn't know was that the "random guy" he was talking about was Dante. Dante started to explain, but I pressed my hand over his. "Go on ahead. I'll handle this." After he left, I turned to face Luca and his fury. "Luca Moretti, the one who chose to marry someone else—wasn't that you?" I was simply stating a fact. But Luca frowned deeply. "I'm just appeasing my parents." That excuse again. Because of that absurd excuse, he sent me to keep his friends company while Claire kept him company. I gave a mocking laugh. Luca fixed his eyes on me. "You actually think you can marry into the Hale family? Even if Dante did want to marry a commoner, a girl as clean as Claire would be a better choice than you." "Ava, stop dreaming." I nodded. "Luca, you're the one who sent me to Dante." Luca looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He ground out the word "fine" through clenched teeth, again and again. I didn't expect that three days later, my brother would call. "Ava, what did you do now? The Morettis cut off Mom's cancer medication."